Egyptian Filmmaker Mayye Zayed’s Documentary ‘Lift Like A Girl ‘, Celebrates Egypt's Female Weightlifters
New
Age Islam News Bureau
23
December 2020
• Interfaith Marriage: There Can Be No Interference If an Adult Woman Marries, Converts With Consent: Calcutta HC
•
Riyadh Court Dismisses Saudi Female Prisoner’s Torture, Harassment Claims
•
Princess Reema on jury for Bahrain's King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award
•
‘Most Women In Torcher, Pakistan, Not Registered As Voters’
•
Turkey: Women Strawberry Garden Launched In Diyarbakir
•
Turkish Women’s #Metoo Twitter Storm Highlights Abuse in Literary World
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Egyptian
Filmmaker Mayye Zayed’s Documentary ‘Lift Like A Girl ‘, Celebrates Egypt's
Female Weightlifters
DECEMBER
22, 2020
By
Menna A. Farouk
CAIRO
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - On a busy street corner in the Egyptian city of
Alexandria, an open-air training camp for female weightlifters has been
inspiring women to reach the top of the sport for two decades - smashing taboos
in the process.
It
also inspired Egyptian filmmaker Mayye Zayed to spotlight women’s success in
the male-dominated sport in “Lift Like a Girl”, a documentary that has won
acclaim at international film festivals in recent months.
Zayed
said she hoped her film would raise awareness about weightlifting among women
and girls, and encourage more to follow their dreams - even if that means
challenging gender stereotypes in socially conservative countries like Egypt.
“Usually
the term ‘lift like a girl’ has a negative meaning, but our documentary is
bringing a whole new meaning to the term - an empowering meaning aimed at
inspiring current and future generations,” Zayed, 35, told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation.
“In
weightlifting, women usually do much better than men, but they are not given
enough support,” she said, referring to the strong performance of her country’s
female weightlifters in international competition.
But
many women give up on their passion for the sport because they cannot afford
it, or because of societal and family pressures for them to marry and have
children, she added.
“Lift
Like a Girl” traces four years in the life of Zebiba, a girl from Alexandria who
started training at Captain Ramadan’s camp when she was nine, and follows her
transformation into a fierce, medal-winning competitor.
The
outdoor camp, which is located on a vacant lot surrounded by chain-link
fencing, has been producing champion female weightlifters for more than 20
years.
They
include Captain Ramadan’s own daughter, Nahla Ramadan - a former world
weightlifting champion and Olympic athlete, and Abeer Abdel Rahman, the first
Arab woman to win two Olympic weightlifting medals.
“I
was inspired by the winning of Nahla in the World Weightlifting Championship
back in 2003 and from there I started my journey to know more about how she got
there,” Zayed said.
“I
went to the camp and I found a unique world that had no (financial)
capabilities but produced champions who competed in world tournaments,” she
added.
‘BELIEVED
IN EQUALITY’
Captain
Ramadan, a former Olympic weightlifter who used to bear the financial cost of
the training himself and train girls for free, died in 2017.
“He
was a great man who believed in equality and the right of women to follow their
dreams regardless of any social stereotypes,” Zayed said.
Since
his death, women weightlifters at the camp have started fundraising to help
girls continue their training for free. Ramadan’s daughter Nahla and his son
Nehad now manage the centre, which does not receive external funding.
Zayed
is planning to go to schools and universities as well as conduct panel
discussions and workshops to highlight the challenges women face in the sport,
and hopes to drum up some extra funding for the cash-strapped camp.
According
to the 2015 Global Gender Gap Index, Egypt ranks low in gender equity compared
to other nations.
The
Index, which measures disparities between men and women across countries,
ranked Egypt 136th out of 145 nations.
“We
are still struggling with the great challenge of women under-representation at
workplaces in general and sport in particular - not to mention a sport like
weightlifting,” said Randa Fakhr El-Deen, a women’s rights activist and
executive director of the NGOs Union on Harmful Practices Against Women.
Celebrating
women champions not only serves to inspire women, but helps erode gender
stereotypes, she added.
“Lift
Like A Girl” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September
and won the Golden Dove for Best Film in the German Competition, Long Film
category, at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated
Film in October.
It
also won three awards, including an audience award, at the 42nd Cairo
International Film Festival, this month.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-women-weightlifting-interview-t/lift-like-a-girl-documentary-celebrates-egypts-female-weightlifters-idUSKBN28W1ZV
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Interfaith
Marriage: There Can Be No Interference If an Adult Woman Marries, Converts With
Consent: Calcutta HC
22/DEC/2020
New
Delhi: The Calcutta high court has reiterated that courts cannot interfere in
an interfaith marriage if a woman marries and converts to another religion of
her own free will, Bar and Bench reported.
The
bench comprising Justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee was hearing a
petition moved by the father of a 19-year-old woman, who married and converted
to the religion of her husband, the report said.
According
to the police statement, she had done so of her own free will and that did not
wish to return to her paternal home.
However,
the father alleged that her daughter may have been forced to give her police
statement. Therefore, the woman gave a second statement before the magistrate
saying that she was under no pressure to convert or give any false statements.
However,
a “clear and clean report” was not sufficient to convince the father, the court
noted. It pointed out that there cannot be any interference.
“If
an adult marries as per her choice and decides to convert and not return to her
paternal house, there can be no interference in the matter,” the high court
observed.
Some
state governments including Uttar Pradesh have recently brought in “anti-love
jihad” laws. “Love jihad” is a term coined by Sangh parivar outfits to describe
an imaginary Muslim conspiracy to convert unsuspecting Hindu women to Islam.
Earlier
this week, a man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested, and later released, under the
love jihad law, and during the process, the woman suffered a miscarriage.
https://thewire.in/law/love-jihad-hindu-muslim-calcutta-high-court
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Riyadh
Court Dismisses Saudi Female Prisoner’s Torture, Harassment Claims
Ismaeel
Naar
23
December 2020
The
Riyadh Criminal Court on Tuesday issued a preliminary ruling dismissing a
lawsuit filed by a Saudi female citizen claiming she was subjected to torture
and harassment while in detention, according to a report by Asharq al-Awsat.
The
Asharq al-Awsat report, which did not name the female detainee but identified
her as a “prisoner currently in detention on security charges,” said the
dismissal came after the public prosecution’s investigation determined that
there is no evidence to substantiate the allegation.
Judicial
authorities reviewed the weekly medical examination reports in addition to
medical reports conducted upon her request, the testimonies of a number of
officials in the Human Rights Commission and a number of officials in the
prison, in addition to the testimonies of a number of detainees with her in the
prison during the period of her detention.
During
the session, which Asharq al-Awsat said it had attended, the judge confirmed
that it was not proven in the court that the detainee was subjected to torture
or ill-treatment during the period of her arrest and during her hunger strike.
The
judge has given the plaintiff 30 days to present her objection to the initial
ruling before submitting it to the Court of Appeal.
“The
plaintiff was given the chance to review all documents and challenge them in
previous court sessions, and she was given the opportunity to present evidence
of any kind to substantiate her claims during several occasions, but she did
not submit it,” read Asharq al-Awsat’s report.
“The
case was opened upon her request, and therefore the plaintiff’s delay in
responding, led to the prolonging of the case. The court’s work was hampered,
given that the court examines a number of cases, and that the accused all
receive equal treatment,” Asharq al-Awsat quoted the judge as saying during the
court session.
After
completing the investigations, the Public Prosecution presented to the court
that the plaintiff’s allegations came without evidence, according to Asharq
al-Awsat’s report.
“Rather, during the
investigation of her case, she did not accuse certain persons or provide their
descriptions to help with identifying them after claiming that she was
blindfolded. In addition, she failed to prove she was transferred from Thahban
prison (in western Saudi Arabia) to a secret location, or that she was
subjected to torture and harassment. Further, the testimony of a number of
officials and specialists in the prison, and the testimonies of a number of
detainees with her in the prison during the period of her detention prove that
she was not transferred outside the prison at any time during her detention nor
was she subject to torture or ill-treatment,” Asharq al-Awsat’s report read.
The
Public Prosecution also confirmed to Asharq al-Awsat that video recording and
surveillance cameras did not show the plaintiff being subjected to torture and
being deprived of sleep during her hunger strike in al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh.
“Rather,
she was dealt with in accordance with approved health protocols, under constant
medical supervision to monitor her health case during the period of her hunger
strike to ensure her safety and prevent potential complications that endanger
her health as a result of her strike,” Asharq al-Awsat’s reported, citing the
court.
Asharq
al-Awsat’s report also said that the accused is currently facing another
separate security-related case “that has not yet been decided.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/23/Riyadh-court-dismisses-Saudi-female-prisoner-s-torture-harassment-claims
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Princess
Reema on jury for Bahrain's King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award
December
22, 2020
MANAMA
— Bahrain has picked Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States Princess
Reema Bint Bandar as one of the members of the preliminary jury for the
country’s prestigious King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award.
The
award recognizes youth’s contribution to the achievement of sustainable
development goals.
Commenting
on her role as a jury, Princess Reema said: “I am honored to participate this
year in the Supreme Jury of the King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award to Achieve
the Sustainable Development Goals."
"The
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide youth in member states
with a clear vision of a future that guarantees sustainability, equality, and
environmental protection. I look forward to hearing the achievements of young
men and women who contribute to their communities and work to implement these
goals," she added.
Meanwhile,
another member of the jury, Stefano Pettinato, who is the resident
representative of the UNDP to Bahrain, stressed the important role played by
Bahrain in promoting youth-related initiatives and projects in the field of
sustainable development all over the world.
Pettinato
noted that the award has become one of the distinguished international awards,
which have a positive impact through the participation of all groups to present
projects that contribute to achieving development goals.
"This
year's communication strategy for the award has been more robust, including
access to other parts of UNDP, and other UN agencies around the world, we are
pleased to see the results of this through 4,064 projects, which is an
unprecedented number, which confirms the importance of this award
globally," he said.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/601706/SAUDI-ARABIA/Princess-Reema-on-jury-for-BahrainsKing-Hamad-Youth-Empowerment-Award
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‘Most
Women In Torcher, Pakistan, Not Registered As Voters’
23 Dec 2020
MANSEHRA:
NGO Sungi Development Foundation has said it is facilitating the registration
of women in the conservative Torghar district as voters.
“Majority
of Torghar women haven’t registered themselves with the Election Commission of
Pakistan as voters, so we, in collaboration with NGO Free and Fair Election
Network, are facilitating their registration as voters,” Sungi Development
Foundation regional coordinator Shahid Aziz told the concluding session of a
two-day media workshop here on Tuesday.
Reporters
from Torghar attended the event, which focused on how to report on coronavirus
pandemic and women’s issues.
Mr
Aziz regretted that the women’s literacy rate in Torghar was eight to 10 per
cent and that they’re without right to vote.
NGO
says it’s facilitating women for the purpose
He
said in the past, those women weren’t allowed to cast vote.
“Sungi
Development Foundation with its partners is now making all-out efforts to
facilitate the registration of Torghar women as voters,” he said.
The
NGO’s coordinator said the workshop was part of the organisation’s strategy to
sensitise women and their male family members to their voting rights to play an
active role in politics.
He
said the project was also meant to introduce more inclusive, transparent and
responsive democratic processes and institutions to tackle Covid-19 pandemic
and associated challenges.
Mr
Aziz said his organisation was helping women get an access to development
process.
Meanwhile,
former chairman of the Journalism Department in two government universities in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prof Syed Shaukat Ali died of coronavirus here on Tuesday.
He
was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital, Abbottabad, last week after
being diagnosed with Covid-19.
His
funeral prayer will be offered in native Paras area of Kaghan valley today
(Wednesday).
https://www.dawn.com/news/1597296/most-women-in-torghar-not-registered-as-voters
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Turkey:
Women strawberry garden launched in Diyarbakir
Hasan
Gunduz
22.12.2020
The
Bismil District Governor and Deputy Mayor Hamza Turkmen inspected a strawberry
garden Tuesday that was established to provide employment opportunities for
women in Turkey.
Turkmen
said the Bismil Women’s Cooperative’s priority was to create the garden on an
area of 5,700 square meters (18,700 square feet).
He
noted that 25,000 strawberry seedlings were planted on a field next to Dicle
University Bismil Vocational School and women, who are members of the
cooperative, will grow the seedlings.
"We
will teach our women how to grow strawberries and this will be an income
channel for them. We held meetings with the GAP Regional Development
Administration for our women, who will be successful in this project, to
establish a strawberry garden in their own garden in the coming years,"
Turkmen said.
The
head of Bismil Women's Cooperative, Melek Icer Aslan, said the aim is to
empower women economically and socially.
Aslan
said that there are 60 women in the cooperative and they will sell products
women will grow.
Member
Zilan Bakir said she is working in the garden to contribute to her family and
to gain a profession.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-women-strawberry-garden-launched-in-diyarbakir/2085505
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Turkish
women’s #metoo Twitter storm highlights abuse in literary world
22.12.2020
Sexual
assault and harassment allegations have shaken Turkey's literary world as more
and more women share their #MeToo stories online, with the author who triggered
the tweet storm denying responsibility and claiming he harassed women
"without realising".
The
online testimonials have led to the suicide of one author who was singled out
after allegedly sending a series of lewd text messages to younger women.
But
while born in social media anonymity, the movement has since been joined by
well-known voices, marking the first time women have dared to come forward
against major authors.
It
all started with a single tweet.
A
user called "Leyla Salinger" shared a video of novelist Hasan Ali
Toptas, once dubbed the eastern Franz Kafka, accompanied by a caption reading:
"How many of us are waiting for this man to be exposed?"
From
there, accusations from 20 women mainly on social media against Toptas
followed, leading many more to describe the harassment and abuse they allegedly
suffered at the hands of other male writers.
One
accused takes his life
Ibrahim
Colak, 51, another author swept up in the wave of stories of abuse, killed
himself on December 10 in Ankara after tweeting a seeming apology to his
family.
"I
had not prepared myself for such an end. I wanted to be a good person but I
failed," Colak tweeted before taking his life, adding he could not
"look in the faces of my wife, children and friends".
Local
media attributed allegations that Colak sent the lewd text messages to the same
Twitter user Leyla.
Her
Twitter account has since disappeared.
'Why
did you wear that dress'
Moved
by the stories, author Pelin Buzluk came forward with her own allegations
against Toptas to the Hurriyet daily newspaper.
"I
was in shock," she said, describing a "very frightening moment"
in which Toptas "approached and forced" himself on her in 2011.
"'Well,
why did you wear that dress?" Buzluk said he told her in response.
Toptas
issued a statement that caused further controversy and confusion, describing
his actions as that of a "patriarchal perpetrator".
"An
individual can make mistakes without realising, unaware of the large pain
inflicted on the other party, until one understands what it is to be a
patriarchal perpetrator," Toptas said.
"I
sincerely apologise to anyone I unknowingly have hurt or upset," he added.
Writer
Buket Uzuner brushed aside Toptas's comments.
"What
does patriarchal perpetrator mean?" she tweeted.
"It's
an apology he was forced to make."
Buzluk
separately told a reporter. "It's not the apology of someone who regrets
his actions."
'May
you lose sleep'
Toptas
later said his statement did not imply an admission of guilt and denied
Buzluk's description of events.
"Nothing
like that happened at all," he told the Milliyet daily.
That
same day, the newspaper ran interviews with five women accusing Toptas of
harassment.
After
the claims blew up on social media, Toptas's publishing house Everest dropped
him, saying it was "against all kinds of harassment".
He
was also stripped of awards he received this year and in 2013.
#Tacizesusma,
which means "Don't be silent against harassment," began trending on
Turkish Twitter.
Another
writer, Asli Tohumcu, said author Bora Abdo harassed her, which he denied.
"Taking
courage from Buzluk, I wanted to show we're not alone," she told the
Hurriyet.
The
Iletisim publishing house dropped Abdo after the claims surfaced.
Women
have also been encouraged to send their stories to an email address,
uykularinkacsin@gmail.com, which means "may you lose sleep".
Beyond
literature
While
the reputation of some reputable authors has been shaken, none of the
allegations have yet led to criminal charges.
But
similar stories also hounded Turkey's main opposition parties this year,
resulting in legal action.
The
main opposition CHP saw its deputy chairman for Istanbul's Maltepe district charged
last month with rape.
And
the HDP, the second-largest opposition parliamentary group, removed a deputy
accused of rape earlier this year.
It
is not the first time Turkey's literary community has come under scrutiny.
Author
Nazli Karabiyikoglu wrote a long piece for a Turkish website in 2018 entitled:
"Sexual harassment and persecution in Turkey's publishing sector."
It
is no longer available online but was shared with the #MeToo hashtag at the
time.
Karabiyikoglu
republished the piece on her website last year.
https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkish-women-s-metoo-twitter-storm-highlights-abuse-in-literary-world-42576
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